On a sunny day, the South Mall's green expanse of lawn lined by stately oak trees is an ideal spot for students to study and socialize. The six red-roofed buildings on each side of the mall, dubbed the "six pack," include Batts, Mezes and Benedict Halls to the east and Parlin, Calhoun and Rainey Halls to the west. Built between the 1940s and 1970, they were part of architect Paul Philippe Cret’s master plan for campus, which also included the Tower, the Texas Union and other iconic buildings.

Main Building and Tower

Commanding the highest point on the Forty Acres, the 307-foot Tower dominates the campus landscape. Opened in 1937, it has become an iconic landmark, bathed in orange lights to celebrate academic honors or athletic victories, or framed by fireworks during spring Commencement ceremonies. Designed by Paul Cret, the Main Building was created to house the university's central library. Today, while much of the Main Building is used for administrative offices, students can still study in the grand reading rooms.

Life Science Library

If you need inspiration while studying in the reading room of the Life Science Library, look up. Located in the east wing of the library, the room has been dubbed the "Hall of Noble Words" because of the quotations, selected by former UT president Dr. William J. Battle, painted on its concrete ceiling beams. The supports for the beams feature the printers' marks of famous early printers.

Battle Hall Library

It's hard to imagine a more perfect setting for architecture students to learn their craft than the Architecture building's very own Battle Hall Library reading room. Timber frame ceilings, intricately painted trusses, rich wood paneling, and antique furniture are bathed in natural light filtered through high arched windows. UT's oldest freestanding library was once the main library on campus, but now houses the Architecture and Planning Library, the Alexander Architectural Archive, and the Center for American Architecture & Design. Designed by New York architect Cass Gilbert in 1910-1911, Battle Hall's exterior red tile roof and limestone walls established the Spanish Renaissance style that became the signature look for the entire campus.

West Mall

If you want to know what's going on with the student body, the West Mall is the place to be. Extending from the UT Tower to the Texas Union, the mall is an ideal location for students to chat and people-watch under the trees. Meanwhile, student organizations set up tables here to share information and attract new members. The Flawn Academic Center, with its state-of-the-art technology resources, also helps to make the West Mall one of the most popular student gathering places on campus.

Lower West Mall

Flanked by the historic Texas Student Union on the left and Goldsmith Hall on the right, the West Mall entrance from Guadalupe Street provides a gateway to campus that immediately connects pedestrians to UT's architectural history. Across the street, "the Drag" consists of a strip of shops and restaurants that line Guadalupe Street.

Goldsmith Hall

The tiled pool and palm tree-shaded benches of Goldsmith Hall's courtyard offer a serene ambience in marked contrast to the busy West Mall outside its walls. Home to the School of Architecture, Goldsmith Hall was designed by architect Paul Phillipe Cret and completed in 1933. The building was named for Professor Goldwin "Goldy" Goldsmith, who served on the architecture faculty from 1928 to 1955.

McCombs School Courtyard

The McCombs School of Business is one of the largest and most distinguished business schools in the nation. In the center of the school's southern courtyard, Charles Umlauf's sculpture "The Family Group" bears the inscription "The family is the foundation upon which the world of business is built..." Across the street, the Perry-Castañeda Library, the main campus library, offers more than 2.5 million volumes and a whopping 70 miles of book stacks. In all, the university’s 17 libraries hold more than 10 million volumes.

Engineering Bridge

A bridge over Dean Keeton Boulevard offers pedestrians safe passage between the engineering buildings on either side of the busy thoroughfare. The Cockrell School of Engineering is one of the top-rated schools in the country in both its undergraduate and graduate programs. Presiding over the engineering complex, the monumental red steel sculpture "Clock Knot" by Mark di Suvero demonstrates the power of public art to transform the university’s landscape.

Student Activity Center

Created by the students, for the students, the Student Activity Center is the stunning result of more than 50 years of planning and debate. The quest for a second student union on campus began back in 1953, but the project was delayed. In 2006 a renewed effort by the UT Student Government culminated in overwhelming support from the student body, which funded and helped design the beautiful facility that opened in 2011. The building holds a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Gold-level certification and includes lounge spaces, meeting rooms, a legislative assembly room, and a rooftop meditation area, along with one of the university’s most popular public art installations, James Turrell's Skyspace <i>The Color Inside</i>.

East Campus

Texas fans flock to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to support their favorite college football team and to see Bevo, the team's Longhorn mascot. First opened in 1924, the stadium has been expanded several times and is now one of the largest in the nation. On home football game days, more than 101,000 fans gather to watch the Longhorns. Across the street, Bass Concert Hall, the flagship theatre of Texas Performing Arts, attracts world-renowned performers and productions. In the distance, you can see the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, one of 13 presidential libraries—and the first to be housed on a university campus.

Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex

Students find respite from the Texas heat in the resort-like oasis of the Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex. The complex opened in 2005 and spans two acres, with two outdoor leisure pools, an outdoor lap pool, a spa, and ample deck space for lounging. Inside Gregory Gym, the Natatorium was renovated as part of the overall expansion project.

Under the Lights

Hook 'em Horns! From atop the north end of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, fans can get a bird's-eye view of the Longhorn playing field amidst a sea of burnt orange and white. Across the field, one of the nation's largest high-definition video display boards beams scores, stats, and live and recorded video to the crowd, with the distinctive Austin skyline illuminated behind it. Beyond the stadium to the east, the Tower stands out prominently in the night sky.

UFCU Disch-Falk Field

Batter up! The UFCU Disch-Falk Field was the site of the longest baseball game in NCAA history, when Texas defeated Boston College 3-2 after more than seven hours and 25 innings in May 2009. Named after former coaches Billy Disch and Bibb Falk, the field has been hosting Texas baseball since 1975. In 2009, a $27 million renovation added additional seating, new locker rooms and batting cages for players, a FieldTurf playing surface, state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems, and an expanded press box.

Commencement

On Commencement night, the biggest, brightest stars are not found in the Texas sky. Instead, it’s the glowing faces of UT graduates that illuminate the South Mall plaza during this annual spring event. Families, friends, faculty, and other well-wishers join together for a memorable night of spectacular fireworks, music, and speeches in celebration of UT's greatest achievement: our graduating student body.

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